Invitation to participate in new bid of Promef program

The invitations were sent a few weeks ago and the proposals should be delivered by February 23. A technical and commercial analysis of the proposals submitted will be conducted, and the Petrobras subsidiary anticipates that the bid proceeding will be completed by the end of the first semester of 2011.

The completion of the bid will also end the contracting process of the 49 ships anticipated for the first two phases of the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program of Transpetro (Promef), which ultimately revived the Brazilian naval industry, on competitive terms worldwide. Today, Brazil is the fourth country in the world in the number of orders received for production of oil tankers.

The ships contracted to date under the Promef program are being built at the Atlântico Sul and Promar Shipyards in the State of Pernambuco, and at the shipyards Mauá, Eisa and Superpesa in Rio de Janeiro. In 2010, three ships were put to sea under the program, Suezmax "João Cândido", by Estaleiro Atlântico Sul (PE), and two other product ships, named "Celso Furtado" and "Sérgio Buarque de Holanda", by Estaleiro Mauá (RJ).

This year, five ships will be delivered to Transpetro and six other vessels will be put to sea for the final finishing work.